The Skeptical Internationalist

Bridging the seriousness of international politics and the triviliaty of international relations theory

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

PAR-What?

The US raised a few eyebrows at the UN today when it voted against the resolution on the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS). This is the first time the US, or any other country has voted against the PAROS resolution in its 24 year history. It is unclear if this radical shift in US policy will be setting the diplomatic ground for the US's revised national security space policy or if this is simply the anti-international law rumblings of US Ambassador John Bolton.

Getting yo smack down

In recent discussions at the UN First Committee, Mexico, Brazil, Kenya, New Zealand and Canada put forth a draft resolution on the initiation of an ad hoc committee on NACD on the margins of the UN First Committee. Or at least that was until came a classic piece of Amb Bolton smack down. In this "diplomatic" note, J-Bolt writes: "We also wish to make clear that the US will NOT (capitals in originals) participate in any international body to which the United States does not agree. Moreover, the United States will not consider itself bound in any way by any agreement emerging from such a body."Fair enough. No one wants to be constrained by decisions made by others without their consent. For the same reasons, most states dislike being held by American extraterritorial laws that tell them they cannot invest in Cuba or Iran.But wait. This is an AD HOC committee. Just people talking here. Either way, this diplomatic smackdown was enough to make our Canuck neighbors shiver in their boots and retract their sponsorship of the draft resolution.